The marathon bandit

Posted at 12:31 PM on October 13, 2011 by Bob Collins (12 Comments)
Filed under: Sports

You marathoners take your world seriously.

Peter Sagal, host of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on many of these public radio stations, acknowledged in an article for Runner's World, that he "banditted" the Chicago marathon last week.

I know it's wrong. But I brought my own bottle of sports drink and and packet of chews, started at mile five, so I didn't gum up the start, and exited at mile 25, so as not to gum up the finish or claim any unpaid-for cookies, bananas, or medals. True, I did refill the bottle at the aid stations -- it was a hot day! - but didn't otherwise use any resources the legit runners paid for. And I did engage in helpful badinage with other runners and waved to the crowd in a charming way, so maybe I earned it. But I will be happy to send a check for the Gatorade to the Bank of America, if so requested.

"Banditting" is running a race -- a marathon in this case -- without registering. Never mind that the piece really wasn't about running on city streets at the same time 45,000 others (who paid) were. Banditting is what the people in the comments section picked up on and made the issue du jour.

Next time I'm in the Windy City, I will head straight for the Chase Auditorium during a taping of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," and sneak in five minutes after taping begins. If I slip back out before the guest panelists make their final predictions, that should be kosher, right? Like, you wouldn't actually charge me for a ticket, would you?

The Chicago Marathon limits the number of runners it allows to 45,000. It also won't let anyone in who hasn't run a marathon in under six-and-a-half hours.

But banditting is, apparently, a great way to start a flame war on sites like Runners World, as this 2008 exchange shows.

The profile of a Bandit is simple, they are the same people that cheat on taxes, steal items in stores, cheat on tests, file for bankruptcy, etc. We can make excuses all day and some how make them into some kind of heros, but in the end, they are low lifes that never pay there own way through life and are always making excuses for their shortcomings.

To which a person from Hopkinton, where the Boston Marathon starts, reminded us that it's just a street

Personally I think it will be mighty funny if a pirate will win the Boston marathon (not that it is very likely to happen), and as a taxpayer supporting this marathon, would expect him (or her) to cross the finish line, so me and other tax payers will have something to talk about.

All of which recalls one of the original marathon bandits (before they got all corporate). Katherine Switzer didn't register to run in the Boston Marathon in 1967. So the marathon goons pushed her out of the race.

Of course, Switzer couldn't register to run because women weren't allowed to run down the streets of Hopkinton at the same time the Boston marathon was being held.

They sure took it seriously back then.

---

Comments (12)

Kathrine Switzer aside, banditing is wrong. Just like going to a state park without a permit.

Posted by kennedy | October 13, 2011 1:10 PM

---

A little fact checking confirmed what I had previously read...Switzer was indeed registered, using only her initials (K.V.). Notice the number she's wearing.

Posted by Ann | October 13, 2011 1:22 PM

---

I agree that banditting is wrong. I guess you can look at it as 'sticking it to the man' for big corporate runs, but what's the point of banditting charity runs? Or what's the point of banditting big corporate runs too? You can say 'I ran part of the boston marathon?' with out anything to show for but maybe a picture? By paying for the registration fees you are helping out a charity or at least creating the opportunity for another running event.

Posted by Shane | October 13, 2011 1:42 PM

---

"...banditting is wrong." Yet if I were to run the same route the day before or the day after, ALSO without using any marathon resources, it would be OK.

I don't quite get it.

Posted by Tyler | October 13, 2011 2:39 PM

---

I would say it is wrong depending on the intent of it.
If you ran the same route every day and then suddenly there was a race there, that would be banditting, would that be wrong? They took your route!
If you wanted to run the race, but didn't want to enter to pay whatever entry, took resources from the main people who did pay, that would be wrong.
If did what Peter did, I wouldn't disagree with that. Maybe he wanted to run it with everyone but he was denied because they were full or he doesn't have a race on record. He isn't taking away from the experience for those that do it. It is a partial wrong, it isn't right, but isn't so wrong that people should be mad about it. If you are 45001 and missed the entry time period, while you can run it at another time and do the same route (although, probably have a lot more cars in the way), it would be the same as running any other day, just with 45000 of your closest friends. It would be like walking around the woods near Yellowstone park, but not going to the big attractions. You aren't hurting anyone, you aren't using a finite amount of resources, why not?

Posted by Rick | October 13, 2011 3:19 PM

---

Kinda wrong is still wrong.

You can't run that exact route any other time than the marathon. Running down the middle of Hennepin avenue would get you a ticket and likely run over. Organizers pay for a permit, security, road closures, all kinds of things to make the course convenient to run.

Feel free to run the route on the sidewalks this weekend. Obey all the traffic laws, carry plenty of water, and remember bus fare to get you back to Minneapolis.

Posted by kennedy | October 13, 2011 4:33 PM

---

Switzer wasn't yanked for being unregistered, she was yanked for being a woman in an all male race, hence her registration with initials. She broke that barrier, and I'm glad she did. But it is a different story.

On questions like this, I remember Randy Cohen, who wrote The Ethicist column in the NYT Magazine for many years. When people wrote in and asked "It's just me doing this little wrong thing just this once, how bad can that be?" and he'd say "Ask yourself this: what if everyone did what you did?"

Life together in a civil society requires us to agree to a few things, and one is that we'll follow the rules, that we will behave as we want everyone to behave.

Nobody's perfect, but you are on a slippery slope when you try to justify your misbehavior the way Peter did. (I do admire his wit and his intelligence, and he is a pretty good runner, too, but this one wasn't funny.)

Posted by Dan Gjelten | October 13, 2011 4:47 PM

---

//she was yanked for being a woman in an all male race

Right. I know. I guess I was too subtle in the wording. She wasn't supposed to be in the race. That was the point. I acknowledge she wasn't literally "banditting." But she was barred from racing, just as anyone who was number 45,001 and above or who hadn't run a marathon in under 6 1/2 would have been.

I've written about her before here.

Posted by Bob Collins | October 13, 2011 4:54 PM

---

It may be a fine point, but it seems important that there was no race number 45,001 (or higher) issued. Also, I am not aware of any qualifying time requirements to sign up for the Twin Cities Marathon, though the course is closed after 6 hours.

Posted by kennedy | October 13, 2011 5:25 PM

---

As a longtime marathoner who has seen the race go from something really impressive to an event where a significant number of participants are basically walking, and where the average time has slowed by about an hour in the last 15 years or so, I have some opinions about the race, but I don't suppose that is the subject of this thread. I would open myself to criticism as an elitist. I mean, I'm all for people getting out and being active. I just think it has become a different thing in the last decade. When the 3:00 marathoner and the 6:30 marathoner both say "I ran the marathon" - I mean, it is a different thing. I've done Boston twice and am currently qualified, but will not be going again, I don't think.

Posted by Dan Gjelten | October 13, 2011 5:27 PM

---

//there was no race number 45,001

right. There wouldn't be. It's capped at 45k.

Posted by Bob Collins | October 13, 2011 5:33 PM

---

@kennedy No need to have a permit to enter a State Park in Minnesota. I bike into Fort Snelling often. You only need a permit to bring your car into a State Park.

Posted by Kassie | October 13, 2011 8:08 PM

---

Post a comment

The following HTML tags are allowed in your comments:
+ Bold: <b>Text</b>
+ Italic: <i>Text</i>
+ Link: <a href="http://url" target="_blank">Link</a>
Fields marked with * are required.

Name*:

E-mail Address*:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments*:

Comment Preview appears above this form upon pressing the "preview" button. Edit your comment and press "preview" again, until you are satisfied with your comment.

Your comment may not appear on the blog until several minutes after it was submitted.

• E-mail this page
• Print this page
• Tweet this page
• Share this

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories